This article was written by one of the winners of the 2025 writing competition, jointly organized by We Write Afrika and the Association of Bloggers of Chad.
Close your eyes for a moment and contemplate the word Chad. What images suddenly appear in your mind? For many Chadians in the diaspora or those who have visited the country, they often picture war, poverty, drought, famine, and lack of visionary leadership. A single narrative, attributed to many developing countries, that completely erases the lived experience. But if you open your eyes, your true eyes, the eyes of the soul and the heart you will see a very different Chad. You will hear the deep and powerful heartbeat of a Chad that reinvents itself through its youth, a Chad that resists, innovates, hopes, and moves forward. This is the Chad that I want you to discover. Far from a fairy tale, it is the authentic story of resilience pulsing through everyday life.
What is great in Chad and what is rarely talked about is our unwavering sense of humanity. In a world where individualism is on the rise, Chadians fiercely guard a philosophy and a value: solidarity and mutual aid. Here, a stranger greets you, asks how you are doing. Here, a personal challenged quickly becomes the concern of an entire neighborhood or village that mobilizes to find a solution. This human warmth, this tightly woven social fabric, is our first innovation, our most effective shield against adversity. It is this strength that turns challenges into collective energy. It is what drives a neighbor to share her meal with others in need, or a poor family to give its last bowl of millet to another in difficulty. It is what motivates a young person to pay the school fees of a child who isn’t theirs, a community to pool funds to care for one of its own. This economy of giving and reciprocity is our invisible national treasure yet how tangible it is.
Look around you, in the streets of N’Djamena, Moundou, Abéché, Faya. You will see ingenuity in its purest form. Young people who, faced with mass unemployment, did not wait for solutions to come from elsewhere. They create. They innovate. From informal businesses that feed entire families and pay for elderly parents’ medical bills, to farmers, women, and children who turn local products into craft products sold even abroad, to artisans who transform leather, clay, and bronze into coveted works of art.
I think about of those engineers who memorize plans, bringing solar solutions to offset the lack of electricity in a country where the temperature can reach 45°C in the shade. I think of those women leaders of associations and bloggers who proudly tell their stories to inspire others. This entrepreneurial frenzy is a resounding message of hope it says “Réussir Bé-gou” meaning becoming successful by fire by force as Djerassem Edgar puts it, or “M’Boigne” from artist Maoudowé Celestin urging us to take our destiny into our own hands. We are not spectators of our own lives. Every small business that opens, every project that takes shape, is a victory over fatalism. It is proof that the Chadian soil, though arid, is extremely fertile for ideas.
To my generation, to my brothers and sisters who sometimes doubt, who are tempted by exile or discouragement, I have a simple message: our greatest battle is to write our own stories.
We were not taught to celebrate ourselves. We were taught to complain or to remain silent. It is time to change the record. Our heritage is not made up only of crises; it is made up of Sahelian kingdoms, of the bravery of our ancestors, of the rugged beauty of the Sahara and the lushness of the South. Our present is made of those thousands of anonymous heroes who rise every morning to keep this country running.
Our duty is to become archaeologists of hope. Let us unearth the successes of our ancestors the Sao giants, the positive initiatives, the daily acts of bravery of our farmers and nomadic herders. Let us use our smartphones, our pens, our art to amplify them. We have the tools. We have a story to tell.
Like all nations, Chad is not a perfect country. It goes through turbulence. But it is alive, vibrantly and passionately alive. Its heart beats to the rhythm of the solidarity and hospitality of its people, the creativity of its youth, and the silent beauty of its landscapes and terrain. It is my pride to contribute, in my modest way, to this symphony in the making.
The story of Chad is being written, and we are its main authors. Let’s write it with audacity, with love, and with hope, anchored deep in our souls. Our story is far greater than we think.
Djelassem Christian
Holder of a degree in Philosophy from the University of Moundou, Djelassem Christian is co-founder of the Center for the Development and Promotion of Women and Program and Training Officer at the Support Center for Victims of Intimate Violence. Committed to social justice, equity, and inclusion, he devotes his energy to supporting communities and promoting positive change. His ambition: to become an influential blogger who educates, amplifies civic voices, and combats misinformation.
We Write Afrika 
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